1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the optical measurement field. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining scattering parameters of a polarization-resolved scattering matrix of an optical device.
2. Description of Related Art
Coherent frequency-swept heterodyne network analysis is a known technique for measuring characteristics of optical devices. For example, characteristics such as group delay, loss and polarization-dependent loss (PDL) can all be obtained using heterodyne network analysis. It is also known that the polarization-resolved scattering parameters provide the most general and complete characterization of an optical device. In particular, once the full polarization-resolved scattering parameters of an optical device have been determined, all other measurable device parameters, such as group delay, PDL and the like can be readily calculated.
There is a need for a technique for determining the polarization-resolved scattering matrix of an optical device that ensures a consistent phase reference for all measurements to determine the scattering parameters of the matrix. By providing a consistent phase reference for all measurements, all measurable parameters of an optical device can be calculated directly from the scattering parameters.